The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-04-28
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught BIZ Study OF the Inter
national Sunday-schOol Lesson Appointed for
II


study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures as
indicated above.l
SUBJECT: THE INFANT MOSES IN THE ARK.
Some years after the death of Joseph, q
Pharaoh came into power over Egypt who was
jealous of the Israelites, and set on their de-
struction. lex, 1881 He tried to reduce
their numbers by CALLING, cruel slavery.
Q:11-14) Then he determined ON the death
of all the Hebrew male infagts. Some were
killed at birth, Others were drowned in the
Nile. Q:15-22)
At length the infant Moses was born. Hisfa-
Tiers name was Amram, and his mothers Joehe-
bed. Is: 20; Nu., 26 So She was aunt to Amram.
The law afterward forbade such a marriage.
The two were descendants of Levi. The brother
OF Moses was Aaron, (Ex., 6: 20,) and he became
the founder Of the Jewish priesthood, estab-
fishing it thus in the line of Levi, third son of
Jacob by Leah. Miriam was the name of the
sister of Moses and Aaron. Is: 20.) Aaron
was three years older than Moses. (7:7) The
term maid" (2:S shows in the Hebrew that
Miriam was of marriageable age, say, H. Hence
at the infancy of Moses he had sister over II
years of age and a brother three years old.
This fact that Aaron was three years old would
lead us to think the order to drown infants was
a very recent one. How else did Aaron escape?
The name Moses is from Hebrew verb,
which means 10 dTGtc Out, rs. G. g., from water,
referring TO the fact the infant was taken out
from the ark floating about among the flags
bordering the River Nile. (2:10.) The name was
given by Pharaoh daughter, and was seemingly
accepted and adopted by his parents. There may
also have been a prophetic, prOyidential sig
nifcance to the name in the fact Moses was TO
be drawn out from the vortex of sin and
slavery and idOlatry in Egypt. 1t is possible
his parents had given the child purely
Hebrew name but we know the infant only as
Moses. The Hebrews probably borrowed their
word rendered Moses from the Egyptian Ian
guage or the Coptic, which is cognate.
The Call to AbrIm to leave Haran for Ca
naan, with the accompanying Covenant, was is
sued in the year 2053 A. NJ. Gall 3 II, states the
Exodus was to take place 430 years later, to
wit, in the year 25i3 A. NJ. But Acts, z: %, 30,
shows Moses was so years old at the Exodus.
Hence he was born in the year 2i33 A. W., or
1911 years Ii. C., the date of our present lesson.
His parents delayed the disposing of the iu-
FAINT for three months. (2:3; Acts :20) They
did not dare further to continue violation of
law enacted by King so cruel as Pharaoh.
We do not know how long PhaTa0h's daughter
permitted his parents to retain Moses. We find
he remained long enough to be at heart an
lsraelite and in sympathy throughout with the
Hebrews.
JOsephus states the name of Phara0hs daugh-
ter was Shermuthis. Philo and Josephus tell
us she was his only child, and hence heir to
the throne; that she was married and childles5,
and that she pretended to her father the infant
Moses was her own child. Heb, IL: "a, might
be construed to mean she passed him off for
her own son. Traditions not supported by the
Bible must, however, be taken with great
allowance. It does not appear the princess
knew the nurse to whom she intrusted the
infant was really his mother.
Itappears from Heb, IL %, that both parents
of Moses interested themselves in caring for
fhsf t3fnu f.ff Il
Mosaic account. Perhaps he was too busy TO
take part IN placing the ark among the flags,
being driven by taskmasters to making brick.
Early of the morning he may have assisted in
carrying the ark to the Nile. 1t is likely he
made the ark. He could not be much Of a
party to the Nile scene, not having access
where only women We're permitted.
One eau but admire the tact of JOchebed. She
was evidently q woman of great good judg-
ment. Then, doubtless, she was under Heavenly
influences. 1t required wisest manipulation to
keep unknown for three months the birth of
child. 1t demanded great courage TO brave for
so long a time law whose penalty was probably
death. 1t is to be supposed that Egyptian
officers from time to time searched all the houses
of the lsraelites in the interest of the cruel
edict. The parents foresaw the time was quite
ut hand, and that something must speedily be
done. DIR. Cumming puts the case beauti-
fully, thus:
THE mother set Miriam. the sister of the babe,
20 watch uDwearied sentinel, while she went
"a little distance and watched the sentinel sister,
while the great God above stood sentinel over all
three; so that not hair Of the head of any of
them was injured, because they had faith and con-
iidence III him"
The case of Pharaoh as to the infants does
not stand alone OF its kind. Even Greece, rich
in art, the home of philosophy, the center of
culture and refinement, tolerated the violent
death of slaves when it became at all apparent
they might increase and rebel. We learn 1000
were at one time put to death for this reason.
Theveuot mentions the fact that in q number
of instances, Persian Kings ordered male in
fants of relatives to be slain, lest they might
aspire to sovereignty.
Beauty has an Ottce-work in human affairs.
1t is not so stra. &c we read of the SYMMETRY
cal makeup OF many of the leading characters
in history. The influence of a man depends
much on how he strikes behOlders. Other
things being equal, the man of goodly physique
has an advantage. Joseph was goodly per-
son, and well. favored" tGen., 80 o. David
was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful counte-
nance, aud goodly to look to-" II Sa., 10 : H.
Moses was goodly child" (Ex., - The
reference is TO the Perfectness of his beauty,
the attractiveness of his form, the healthy
flush of his countenanCe. ST. Stephen declared
the infant Moses was exceeding fair" (Acts,
7:20.) st. Paul says 4" he was proper child, "
meaning beautiful infant. (Heb., IL 4: %
Says Trapp:
Beauty is of itself very attractive as the poet
hath It,. For which cause HeraclOnas, the young
Emperor of Constantinople, being sent into bansh-
meni, together with Martina, his mother, had his
nose cut OH lest his beauty should move the people
to ply
Josephus writes:
Moses beautiful as to attract the pleasant
surprise of ali who beheld him. IL frequently hap
pened that those who met him rs he carried
along the road were obliged To turn again and gnze
after the child; while those who were at work by
the roadside left what they were about and stood
looking IN mOtiOnless admiration, astonishing
were the charms of his infant countenance"
Bulrushes ". y were shrubs growing in
marshy places, and served the Egyptians for
many purposes. One great use to which they
were put was the manufacture of papyruS, then
employed as paper. 1t is a little strange that
to-day our light, swift racing boats are made
out of paper Flags (V. 81 were any kind Of
seaweeds. Cemented would be word pref
cradle to "daubed." (V. 81 Pitch was btu
men, or asphalt. 1t was not found in Egypt,
but was imported specially from Mesopotamia,
and much used for caulking boats. Stores OF
bitumen were also about the Dead Sea. Whitney,
Jameson and others by "slme" understand
Nile mud. Pitch was a kind of mineral and
vegetable glue. We may call it tar. 1t was
very seryiceable in excluding water. Amram